


We Can Burn Brighter Than The Sun

by zetsubonna



Series: All American Bicycle [16]
Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game)
Genre: Everyone Is Poly Because Avengers, Natasha Seriously Who the Hell Are You Dating?, Natasha is dating everyone because she can, Other, The answer is everyone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 13:22:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10022426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zetsubonna/pseuds/zetsubonna
Summary: It's all one big cloud of time fog and nobody knows what timeline they're in, so why not do whatever the Hell you want?Title: Fun.We Are Youngft. Janelle Monae





	

“Hang on a sec,” Bucky murmured, pressing his right hand into the middle of Steve’s back.

Steve lifted his flushed face out of Bucky’s neck, his eyebrows raised and lips slightly apart.

“Have we done this before?” Bucky asked. He was smiling a little, black-rimmed eyes half-closed and soft.

Steve blinked a few times, considering. “I don’t know.”

Bucky chuckled, low and rumbling. “All right. We can keep going. I just couldn’t figure out if we were boyfriends or whatever.”

Steve made a thoughtful sound. “Do you want to be?”

Bucky shrugged, but he was grinning. “Up to you. You already have two girlfriends, but I don’t think anybody is going to expect Cap to have a harem.”

Steve snorted and went back to kissing Bucky’s neck. “Shut up.”

* * *

“Hey, Peg?” Steve leaned around the outside of the door to look at where Peggy was perched on the edge of the common room’s biggest armchair, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

She brought her eyes out of the middle distance. “Yes?”

“You got a minute?”

She leaned back in the chair and gestured to the arm, where he sat. She grinned up at him. “What’s on your mind?”

“Time fog stuff,” he said, his arm going across the back of the chair. “Trying to reconcile some memories. I think this place is a little-” He tilted his hand back and forth.

“Professor Pym says it’s a time-space nexus,” she said. “You’ve read science fiction.”

“I live science fiction,” Steve said wryly, though he relaxed back into a grin. “Anyway, dumb stuff, so if you want to keep to whatever important super-spy things you were thinking about, I can wait?”

“You’re already perched,” she reminded him. “Just spill.”

“I can’t figure out who I’m dating,” he said.

Peggy laughed. “An excellent problem to have.”

“I’m serious,” Steve said, but he was laughing, too. “It’s all tangled.”

“Well,” she said, arching her brow, “Your own deep freeze history doesn’t help you, in any case.”

“It does not,” Steve agreed. “So, what say you, Agent Carter? Are you my girl?”

“Alternate Thursdays,” Peggy demurred, tapping her bottom lip. “And strictly probationary, since your other girl is _literally_  my relation.”

Steve winced. “Yeah. Touche.”

“Indeed,” Peggy said, checking to make sure nobody was looking when he slid off her chair and she swatted his backside. “Best to talk to her as well.”

“Will do. Oh, and Peggy?” Steve rubbed at his ass where she’d hit it. “Do you mind if I have a boyfriend?”

Peggy considered. “Not particularly,” she decided. “Long as you realize that door opens on both sides.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Steve said, winking as he saluted. “Besides, I think Natasha has a crush on you.”

“I’ve noticed,” Peggy said smugly.

* * *

“Sharon?” Steve had made his way up to the roof, where Sharon had set up her phone to play the Destiny’s Child best-of on repeat as a rhythm setter for her annihilation of the punching bag.

“One sec,” Sharon said. She finished a roundhouse kick, settled on her feet, and then cracked her neck on both sides. “Okay.”

“Time fog question,” Steve said, tossing her a water bottle from the minifridge.

“Yeah?”

“Are we dating?” Steve leaned forward, his head tilted. “Can’t keep it straight.”

“Not straight because Bucky, or not straight because time-space nexus?” Sharon asked.

“Both,” Steve nodded.

“I think Aunt Peggy and I settled on alternating Thursdays,” she said, swigging from her water bottle. “Bucky can have you on Sundays, or whenever it is you aren’t training or shooting pool with Sam.”

“Got it,” Steve said. “I think there was something about Janet…?”

“Ask Janet,” Sharon said, tossing back the water bottle so he could return it to the mini fridge. “Be a sweetheart and turn on the fan, would you?”

Steve switched it on, then paused. “Do _you_  have a girlfriend?”

“I think so?” Sharon said, wrinkling her nose. “It’s either Jessica D. or Natasha.”

“Could be both!” Steve suggested. “They’re great. They’re sneaky and they have pretty hair.”

“Sounds like your type as much as mine,” Sharon teased. “Now get out of here. I’m trying to exercise, you’re dropping my heart rate.”

“I’m saddened and sympathetic,” Steve declared.

Sharon blew him a kiss.

He caught it.

* * *

“We are definitely _not_ dating,” Janet said, beaming at Steve over her shoulder. “You can be my ex-boyfriend, though!”

“That sounds fun,” Steve said, leaning over to peer at her screen. “How are you already blogging about this? We’re in the middle of the conversation.”

“Because it’s fabulous!” Janet said. “Look, I just got a robot-me second-best friend, and now I get to be amicable exes with Mister Perfect Student Body President, who is also a dreamy art student and a giant nerd.”

“I thought Tony was the giant nerd,” Steve said, squinting a little as he laughed with her.

“You’re both nerds,” Janet said, nodding and typing without looking away from him. “But think about it, though, seriously. You’re the _perfect_  ex-boyfriend. You’re a gentleman, you’re friendly, you’re supportive, you’d punch people for me-”

“I would punch so many people for you,” Steve agreed. “I would also hold them and let you punch them yourself.”

“See? Perfect,” Janet said, bobbing up to kiss him on the cheek. “Do you want me to make you a spreadsheet of when you’re supposed to be kissing who?”

“That sounds _very_ helpful,” Steve said.

“Color coded and with emojis!” Janet promised.

* * *

“Cap!” Tony stomped into the club, shoulders tight, jaw set, eyes narrowed.

Steve looked over at Sam. Sam shrugged.

Tony got within arm’s length of where Steve was standing by the pool table, holding his cue stick. Steve tilted his head to the side, eyes slightly widened. Tony stomped his foot and clenched his fists.

“How dare you break up with Janet?! She’s awesome! You’re a jerk! I didn’t even know you were dating!”

Sam muffled a snort and lined up for a shot.

“First of all, hi, Tony,” Steve said, resting the cue’s end on the top of his sneaker. “Second, she broke up with me. Third, if you had bothered to read the whole paragraph, we’re still friends.”

Tony pursed his lips and his forehead wrinkled, but his shoulders relaxed. “She’s my best friend, though. I kinda still feel like I should fight you.”

“She broke up with him because he needs a calendar for his dating schedule,” Sam said, banking a shot and sinking two striped balls.

“She even made me the calendar,” Steve said brightly. “She’s an excellent ex-girlfriend.”

Tony started back, blinking rapidly. “Why would you need a calendar?”

Steve pushed a few buttons on his phone, projecting the calendar behind the Ultron bot on the bar wall. “I do all my homework for the week on Monday. Live ammo obstacle course Tuesday, shooting gallery Wednesday, Peggy and Sharon alternate Thursdays, running three days a week, gymnastics, baseball, shield slinging practice, ballistic physics practicals with Sam, student council, dance class, motorcycle maintenance, intelligence debriefings, and Bucky on Sundays because the girls think anything more complicated than that would take up too much brain power and make him confused, which, let’s be honest, probably.”

Tony’s jaw hung open. Sam hid a snicker in a glass bottle of cream soda.

“You’re dating Agent Carter _and_ Agent Thirteen?!”

“ _And_ Winter Soldier,” Sam added helpfully.

Steve peered at the schedule. “Still not sure why she went with grayscale for Buck. I like the stars, though.”

“I like the white and gold for Sharon,” Sam said, pointing with his drink. “Lipstick and a gun for Peggy was also a nice touch. Your shot, Cap.”

Steve eyeballed the table.

“Two spies and an assassin,” Tony grumbled accusingly.

“He’s reformed,” Steve said, more certain than defensive. “Left corner.”

“You can’t bank that,” Sam said, shaking his head.

“Did the exact same angle off a robot head last week,” Steve said.

“You’re a liar.” Sam sipped again. “You’re gonna go too fast and clip mine.”

Steve tried the shot. He winced when the striped ball sank and the eight missed. “Damn.”

“Told you,” Sam said, lining up again. “Thanks for the point, though.”

“This is ridiculous,” Tony said, rolling his eyes and folding his arms over his chest.

“Tell me about it,” Sam said. “I keep saying his life doesn’t make sense.”

“Try it from the left,” Steve said, gesturing for Sam to adjust his cue stick.

“I know what I’m doing,” Sam grumbled. “Let me cook, will you?”

“So, wait, are you dating Sam, too?” Tony asked.

“Sam’s dating Ms. Marvel,” Steve said.

“I can’t date a dude who needs a calendar, either,” Sam said. “Janet made the right call.”

“You seem like a one at a time-r,” Steve said.

Sam peered at the table. “I got no time for romantic complications. Side pocket.”

“You can do it,” Steve said. “I believe in you.”

“At least Pepper loves me,” Tony sighed.

“Satana and Amora like you,” Steve offered.

Sam sank the eight. Steve motioned to the robot bartender for another round.

“They like torturing me. That doesn’t make me feel better,” Tony said, sitting at the bar. “Give me a coffee float, Ultron. I need to brood.”

* * *

“Okay, check in,” Steve said.

Sharon and Peggy looked up from their poker game.

Bucky paused with his spoon full of hot fudge sundae halfway to his mouth. He resumed eating when it looked like he was about to spill ice cream on his relatively pristine hoodie.

Janet looked over the top of her phone.

Pepper glanced up from her tablet to show that she was listening, then got right back to work.

Tony raised his eyebrows, though he didn’t look up from the gadget in his lap until Rhodey smacked him in the arm and made him drop his screwdriver.

Kamala and Sam tried very hard to pretend they were not craning to see what hands Peggy and Sharon were holding from the counter behind the armchairs.

Loki rolled his eyes and tried very hard to look bored.

Amora didn’t have to try.

Clint accidentally dropped the pizza slice he was using to get his dog to sit up and beg, which Lucky decided meant he had earned it.

“Raise your hand if you previously were, might have been, currently are, or think you might be dating Black Widow,” Steve said, checking his clipboard.

Everyone raised their hands, with the exceptions of Kamala, Amora, and Peggy.

“I don’t think my parents would let me date a spy,” Kamala said, fidgeting with her scarf.

“I hate everyone,” Amora said. “I hate Widow more than the Marvels, but less than Loki.”

“I’m your only friend,” Loki reminded her.

“Why do you suppose that should mean I _don’t_ hate you?” she asked.

Peggy arched both eyebrows. “Hmm.”

“Is this _really_ why you called a secret meeting?” Natasha said. She was leaning against the doorframe with both arms crossed.

“Not inviting you gave me away,” Steve sighed.

“Obviously,” she said. “Should have held it in the Stark Initiative.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my hot tub,” Tony muttered.

“Why didn’t you invite Hill?” Natasha asked.

“She doesn’t like you,” Rhodey said. “Well, she acts like she doesn’t. Mostly because she’s jealous and thinks Fury likes you better.”

“He does, but he tries not to.” Natasha sat on the table. “He doesn’t want to encourage me.”

“You two are like very competitive sisters,” Clint said.

“With a very suspicious and untrustworthy dad,” Natasha agreed.

“Flush,” Peggy announced, laying her cards on the table.

Sharon glanced from the cards to Natasha. She pressed her lips together, licked them as they parted, and gathered the deck to deal again.

Steve tucked his hands into his pockets. “Okay. Well, guess that was a dead end.”

Natasha smirked at him and took his clipboard. “Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Because,” Steve said, returning her smirk. “Janet taught me this one. _You are a giant troll_.”

“The _trollest_ of trolls,” Janet said proudly. “Troll queen. Tsarina Trollina!”

“I am,” Natasha agreed, scanning the papers. “What were you trying to figure out, anyway?”

Natasha paused when she got to the bottom of Steve's notes. She quirked a smile up at Steve, taking off the top sheet, crumpling it up, and shoving it into her pocket. “Okay. Good job. Hope for you, yet.”

“I think you should ask,” Steve murmured, smiling back. “Can’t hurt.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and wandered off.

“What was he trying to figure out?” Kamala stage whispered to Sam.

“Who Natasha likes, I think,” Sam whispered back. “Steve won’t tell, though. Not even if he got it right, which I think he did.”

“Who _does_  she like?” asked Tony. “I have the distinct feeling that it’s not me.”

“Probably not,” Pepper said. “Stick to the two you’ve got, Tony.”

Rhodey scoffed. “Could definitely stand to put in a little more effort, yeah.”

“My propensity for flirting is like my propensity for robotic disasters,” Tony said, holding up his creation to peer at it more closely. “I never quit experimenting, even when it _doesn’t_  blow up in my face.”

The sphere started to hover. It bobbled out of his hands and twinkled stars and hearts across Pepper’s blouse and Rhodey’s armor plating before it sputtered smoke, made a loud whooping noise and crashed back into Tony’s lap.

Steve stole the cherry off of Bucky’s ice cream, then joined him on the bench.

 


End file.
